Dear Santa, What Do I Get My Favorite Author for the Holidays?

Happy Holidays! I’m so happy to be here. My name is Julie Moffett and I write the award-winning mystery series featuring geek girl extraordinaire, Lexi Carmichael. Geeks, Lies and Spies, oh, my! In my mystery series, you’ll meet Lexi and her nerd herd—a quirky gang of tech friends who save the day and solve the mystery by using their super-charged brains. There are currently 10 books in the series, with the latest one, NO REGRETS, scheduled to release on January 8th.

I also have a brand new young adult spy/adventure series that releases TOMORROW titled WHITE KNIGHTS. Hooray! Imagine Nancy Drew crossed with Velma from Scooby Doo and you’ll get Angel Sinclair! It’s a fun book and clean for teens, young adults and the young-at-heart. 🙂

Since it’s the holiday season and we’re talking about books and new releases, I thought I would offer you a way to present your favorite author with a little holiday cheer. So, grab that coffee/tea/hot chocolate/hot toddy, put your feet up near the fireplace, and settle in for a little holiday story about how to bring a smile to the face of your favorite author…

It’s a question as old as time. Okay, maybe it’s not that old, but I’m occasionally asked what I’d like for Christmas as an author.

People are usually surprised I hold down a full-time job in addition to writing. Here’s a big (#notsobig) secret — writing isn’t always a lucrative business. Most mid-list writers can best be described as struggling artists. I have several friends who are considering giving up writing altogether because of financial infeasibility. This doesn’t have to happen. There are ways you can help your favorite authors keep writing. To help you out, I’ve listed five big ones.

Buy the Book. Sounds simple and it is. Each book you buy helps the author increase his/her sales record and be better positioned for future books.

Buy the Book as a Gift. Books are the perfect gift. Besides, if you ask nicely, most authors will happily provide a bookmark or bookplate so you can give an autograph. There are ways to sign e-books, too. Just ask. Plus, who DOESN’T want books for the holiday?!?

Recommend the Book. Word of mouth is a great way to help your favorite authors get recognized by others. You can recommend it to your neighbors, friends, co-workers, book club and family. You can blog about it, mention it by name (providing links is even better!) on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, or your favorite social media. You can recommend the book or author in a post, invite them to blog or come to your online party in whatever venue you choose. Word-of-mouth is golden.

Review the Book. If you have a blog, a Facebook account, a Twitter handle, Goodreads account, or belong to LinkedIn, tell others what you like about the book in your own words. Write a review. It can be an entire blog post or it can be a few words. It doesn’t matter. Just get the word out. Share your thoughts about the books on your social media platform. If you liked the book, a few kind words can make a world of difference. Reviews are so important to authors because the more reviews we get, the more opportunities we are given in terms of promotion. So, even a short “I liked it!” or “Cool beans!” will be met with HUGE gratitude by your favorite author.

Let the Author Know You Like the Books. Most authors have websites and social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. It isn’t that hard these days to track down your favorite author. Don’t assume they are inundated with constant praise and encouragement from the public at large. The truth is that most writers operate in a vacuum. Most of the time we’re convinced our stuff is crap. If you enjoyed a novel, PLEASE take a minute and let your favorite author know. It can be just a sentence or two letting them know how much you liked it. I can tell you from personal experience that one positive fan letter can energize me for a long time. That is, perhaps, the best gift you can give a writer.

**GIVEAWAY** I’m giving away a copy of the first book in my new YA spy/mystery WHITE KNIGHTS. All you need to do is let me know how you like to support your favorite author in the comments below.

Julie Moffett is a bestselling author and writes in the genres of mystery, young adult, historical romance and paranormal romance. She has won numerous awards, including the 2014 Mystery & Mayhem Award for Best YA/New Adult Mystery, the prestigious 2014 HOLT Award for Best Novel with Romantic Elements, a HOLT Merit Award for Best Novel by a Virginia Author (twice!), the 2016 Award of Excellence, a PRISM Award for Best Romantic Time-Travel AND Best of the Best Paranormal Books of 2002, and the 2011 EPIC Award for Best Action/Adventure Novel. She has also garnered additional nominations for the Booksellers’ Best Award, Daphne du Maurier Award and the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence.

Julie is a military brat (Air Force) and has traveled extensively. Her more exciting exploits include attending high school in Okinawa, Japan; backpacking around Europe and Scandinavia for several months; a year-long college graduate study in Warsaw, Poland; and a wonderful trip to Scotland and Ireland where she fell in love with castles, kilts and brogues.

Julie has a BA in Political Science and Russian Language from Colorado College, a MA in International Affairs from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and an MEd from Liberty University. She has worked as a proposal writer, journalist, teacher, librarian and researcher. Julie speaks Russian and Polish and has two sons.

Let Julie know in the comments how you like to support your favorite authors, and win a copy of her brand new book WHITE KNIGHTS! Thanks for visiting Chicks on the Case, Julie, and happy holidays from all of us to you and your family.

I try to spread the word to all friends who don’t do Facebook, and I send info on all great books that I think that they would like to read..I buy books and send them to friends to encourage them to read. I missed putting some reviews online this past year due to eye surgeries. But I’m trying to get caught up. Thank you do much.
Cynthia B

I pretty much do all of this already. I have been telling people about books I love since I was a kid. Reviewing, and eventually my blog, have just been a natural extension of that. (And your books sound like a lot of fun.)

I tell everyone that likes to read about your books. We are always buying books to read. I actually found out about you from my coworker. We love to discuss your books and tell more co-workers about them. I love to give my kids books for every occasion. I agree that it’s a great gift. Did not know about being able to get them autographed too.

I am not entering the book giveaway as I already have it– will review when finished. I buy the books and review–not so great here, but working on it— plus I do share with others when I find books to love. Lucky me, Jeanie Whitmere Jackson shared the Lexie books with a group we belong to on Facebook. I had to read them straight through! Such a fun series.

Hi Julie, thanks so much for coming by Chicks today!! And just so you know, you are my author idol. If there’s anyone who supports her fellow authors, it’s you!! Can’t wait for White Knights–huge congrats!

What a great way to spread holiday cheer! Reviews really do make a huge difference. Thanks for the reminder, Julie — and thanks to everyone who buys our books, leaves reviews, and sends us nice messages. It really does mean the world to us! 🙂